It's hot.

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We have to start with the weather this week, as I don’t think we have experienced anything quite like it in Aotearoa before. Records for high temperatures are being broken every day (but some of the records only go back to the 1970’s). I haven’t noticed the temperature in our hall drop below 25ºC all week, even in the middle of the night when I have been up for a quick visit to the loo. Today, driving over to Howick (and again on the way back again), Luna was reporting the outside temperature as 30ºC. It’s hot.

We have had a little rain, some at the beginning of the week, and a few showers yesterday afternoon and evening, but other than that it has been fine and dry with many long periods of clear sky. We are having the back door and the ranch sliders open as much as possible to get some airflow, and the fan in the lounge is on most of the day. We have hardly used The Rattigan because it has just been too hot to sit in the sun with the heat reflecting off the concrete.

The air conditioning in the library seems to be working a little better, so Nicky has had a reasonably comfortable week at work. On Monday she went out for morning coffee and tea with Doris to a German café that Doris wanted to try, but it was a disappointment overall.

I have had a bit more work this week, Friday being the best day in terms of remuneration and customer response. Getting the washing done has been straight forward but the timing of the ironing has required some management to try and do it at a cooler time of day.

Jenny contacted the family towards the end of the week to say that Anna was going to be here for a couple weeks for a friends wedding, and they would be having a open home on Sunday afternoon. So, after Nicky went off to work yesterday morning I set too making Eccles cakes and mini bacon quiches, along with iron-rich fruit loaf for us. In the afternoon I attended a memorial for the husband of one of my elderly customers who is not at all well herself. I arrived home just after Stella and Nicky had arrived, and of course, they Scrabbled.

After tea, some telly, and some evening cool, Nicky and I drove over to Curran Street and walked down to the Westhaven Marina to watch the new Harbour Bridge Lights. These are 90,000 computer controlled solar powered LED’s, and a special opening ceremony light show ran. The lights will be active all year round. Excuse the camera shake, I will go along with a tripod sometime:


I left early this morning to go to Karekare today with the wether being so warm, and it was lovely. The sea was calm (for the west coast) and a lovely temperature, so I had two good swims and a really nice walk. Nicky had folks back for tea after church, then this afternoon we have been over to P&J’s to see Anna and other family members. It was really good to catch up with Ann’s news and to see her looking so well.

Take care, Rick

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